


Welcome Home

by FairyLights101



Series: Zine Works [7]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon Universe, Fluff, Gen, Mild Angst, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:00:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24908002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FairyLights101/pseuds/FairyLights101
Summary: Lance returns to civilian life, though his time in space is still on his mind.
Series: Zine Works [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2156664
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	Welcome Home

The crosshairs were a lie. The sights on the fair guns were always off, though figuring out how and how much always took a moment. But Lance had practiced with this gun already, had found the five millimeter shift to the right it had - and now, with the Florida sun warming his neck, sweat slipping down his cheek, he smiled as he pulled the trigger. 

The clang of metal broke the chatter around him as one of the panels fell back. The five panels after fell in quick succession, their  _ pings  _ ringing through the air, louder and louder. Lance let out a beath, grinning as he let his arms fall and set the gun back down on the countertop. 

“That’s my big brother!” Sofia yelled, stomping her little feet on the ground. 

Lance glanced back to his siblings, Sofia holding onto Hugo’s hand, her big blue eyes on the prizes, the twins with a hand on her and Hugo. “Sofia, whaddya want?” 

She perked up, smile widening as she stepped closer. “I get to pick?” “

He squatted down and held his hands out. “Of course, you picked the game.” 

Sofia squealed and broke away from their siblings, rushed into Lance’s arm, giggling as he swung her up into the air and settled her on his hip with a grunt. She was getting a little too big for that, but he didn’t mind - the smile was worth it as she grabbed at the stuffed animals overhead, delighted at the colorful creatures. “Lancey, that one!” She pointed to the top of the back wall, up to the row of the largest stuffed animals. 

“The pony?” 

Sofia giggled. “No, the shark! I want the shark!” 

Lance looked at the booth attendant. “How many games do I have to win for that?” 

She stared at him, expressionless as she popped a bubble of mint green gum. “Five. Perfect scores. Or a cumulative of thirty points.” 

Lance set Sofia down and dug through his pocket, dropped five dollars onto the countertop. “I’ll do five more rounds then.” 

The panels were reset and knocked back down within seconds, the sharp  _ pings _ breaking the air. So different from what he’d grown used to, the fizzle of laser blasters and his bayard. He could feel the sweat and prickle of eyes on his neck. The next round was set up. He let a breath shudder out. It was almost too easy, just being able to stand there and look down the sight and not have to worry about being shot or hit or ambushed. Not having countless lives on the line, but instead a stuffed shark, deep blue and spotted, its large mouth parted. 

The last five fell and, with a slightly impressed look, the girl unhooked the shark and handed it over to Lance, and he passed it to Sofia. It was almost as big as her, so thick her little arms could barely fit around it, but she beamed as she squeezed it tight. 

“Thank you Lance!” 

He ruffled her hair. “Of course.”  _ You grew up thinking I was dead. A shark hardly makes up for it.  _ But he was back. His own two feet were on Earth again, and, even if he was missing an ear, he could taste the salt in the air, the sweetness of funnel cake and the tang of spicy foods on his tongue. He could see his brothers and sisters again, the little nieces and nephews he’d missed, his  _ mom-  _

Purple flickered in the corner of his eye. He whipped around, hand clenched around the gun- His mom. Her dress, a soft lilac covered in white flowers, her hair so streaked with gray.  _ I could have shot my mom.  _ With a BB gun, but still. 

A breath shuddered out. The sweat on his neck was freezing. 

He set the gun down without looking back and walked over, smiling thinly as she opened her arms wide, face lit up as she hugged him She smelled like cinnamon, and, even though it was a hot day, the warmth of her embrace was easy to sink into as he clung to her. It was easier now to find a comfortable way to settle in her arms, to press their bodies together - he’d grown taller. She’d just grown older. 

“Lance, do you want anything to eat? Diego wants to try some barbeque, and your dad and the girls have tons of candy.” 

Lance stepped back with a smile. “Food sounds good.” 

“Can’t get enough of it, can you?” His mom ruffled his hair - but she couldn’t hide the sad smile, the pain in her eyes. 

_ Too soon. Too close.  _

Not even a year since they’d come back for good. Hardly a few months since he’d been allowed outside with his family, into the public. Which was filled with merchandise of the Voltron team. Hell, he’d already seen three different booths dedicated to Voltron and signed at least twelve different things. That, he could get used - it wasn’t new. They’d been beyond popular in space with all the aliens they’d come across. 

But Earthen food - he couldn’t get enough of that. Especially cotton candy. And his mom’s plantains. Abuela’s tortillas. Gracie’s lasagna. _ Bread.  _

Lance trotted after his mom, Sofia’s hand in his, that shark clutched to her chest and the boys clustered around them as they weaved through the crowd. His dad, Abuela, Diego, and Gracie were all clustered in front of a sweets booth overflowing with candied apples and bags of cotton candy, stacks of cinnamon rolls and churros and more clustered around. 

Gracie had her hands full - with food and her twins, but she still lit up with a smile when she spotted them. “Lance! Mama! Carlos saved a spot for us to eat!” 

Knowing his family, they’d probably gotten a little bit of everything, even the greasiest, grossest fair food possible, and Lance’s stomach rumbled with anticipation.

“Hey, is that the Blue Paladin?” Lance glanced back towards the voice, a kid’s. One surrounded by four others, all of them wearing Paladin colors with two  _ very _ harried-looking parents behind them, sunburned but smiling. 

“It is!” The one in the Green Lion shirt crowed. “It’s  _ Lance McClain _ !” 

“The super awesome right leg of Voltron!” The Yellow Lion kid added on. 

They darted over and Lance looked back at his family with a smile. “I’ll catch you all in a bit, okay?” He was only met with rolled eyes and smiles, and he turned back to the kids and crouched down. “Hey there guys, what’re your names?” 

Their voices exploded, a clamor that he slowly sorted through their voices, their words, their hopes. 

Cleo, the girl in the Black Lion shirt, who dreamed of space uniting races. 

Yuri, the boy in the Green Lion shirt, who wanted to build space ships and sail among the stars. 

Alexi, the one in the Red Lion shirt, who wanted to just  _ learn.  _

Chip, the girl in the Yellow Lion shirt, who wanted to go and try the alien foods, to see all the new wonders. 

And Zara, who wore his colors, his Lion, who just wanted adventure. 

And to say “Welcome home!” with a sunshine smile, complete with missing and growing teeth and dimples.

And his signature. 

She wanted it on her face, but he (and the parents with the kids) managed to convince her that no, the face wasn’t the best place, but he could sign her Blue Lion hat and her Lance McClain figure (thirty-two joints! Realistic range of motion! Recorded voice feature!), as well as the other objects they held out for him. Ones that had other signatures on them. Pidge’s messy scrawl. Shiro’s crisp, sharp lines. Keith’s little squiggles. Hunk’s bubbly letters.  _ I should call them soon. See them.  _

But that was for later. 

Now, Lance smiled and ruffled Zara’s hair. “Who wants to hear a story?”

**Author's Note:**

> My piece for the [Sharpshooter Zine!](https://sharpshooterzine.tumblr.com/) So thankful I could be a part of this project way back when, and I hope you all enjoy it and the works that everyone else put in!


End file.
